William wall



Ilrrn STATES ATEN N IVILLIAM W'ALL, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGN OR TO THE UNITED STATES COTTON SEED CLEANING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

REMOVING FIB ER FROM COTTON-SEED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 310,628, dated January 13, 1885.

Application filed November 15, I893. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern: they may be dried. These are generally the Be it known that I, \VILLIAM \VAIJL, of New steps taken; but the following is a more de York, in the county of New York and State tailed description of the process and the results of New York, have invented a new and useful attained.

Improvement in Treatment of Cotton-Seed; In the first or acid tank I ordinarily use acid 55 and I do hereby declare that the following is a of preferably 66 hydrometer strength, alfull, clear, and exact description of the same. though I do not confine myself to any partied My invention relates to the treatment of cotlar degree, .or, in fact, to any particular acid. ton-seed for the removal of the fiber remain After the seeds are removed from the aciding upon the seed; Its object is to improve tank they are immersed in a tank containing 60 the condition of the seed, to facilitate the opat first pure water, which removes the acid eration, and to economize in the use of the from the seed and from the receptaclein which acid. In the main features my process is they are contained, which acid is thus mixed the same as that described in Letters Patent with the water in the tank, raising it to, say,

granted Thomas Taylor on the th day of 10 hydrometer. The dissolved fiber and any 65 November, 1881. In the process described in loose cotton remaining on the seed are at the said patent the seeds are subjected to the ac same time washed off, either wholly or partion ofsulphuric acid until the fiber and outtially, as desired, and remain in the water of side woody parts of the shell are dissolved, and this second tank. Arepetition of the process then the seed are transferred to a lime bath, that is to say, the introduction of a second 7 and subsequently washed and agitated or batch into the samewater of thesecondtank rubbed. wilhincrease the strength of the diluted acid,

In carrying out my invention I use sulphuric say, ten degrees more, and the process may be acid, the action of the acid dissolving the whole repeated with successive batches until the acid or the main part of the lint without permitis raised in strength to, say, about4=5 hydrom- 75 ting the acid to materially affectthehull. The eter, or any degree desired. A second tank subsequent washings, hereinafter more fully of pure water may be used after the first wadescribed, remove the dissolved lint or fiber ter bath for the more complete carrying out and leave the seeds practically free from lint, of the process. The water mixed with acid 3O inwhich condition they are available for the or the acid reduced in strength by these wash- 8 purposes for which they are used. ings is purified by passing it through sand,

In the mode of operation described in the which removes the dissolved fiber or cottonabove-mentioned patentfith' seed are transcarbon that may be mixed withit. When the ferred directly from the acid to the lime bath. first water-ta11k,which is the second tank in the This treatment destroys the acid taken up by order of the whole, has been removed, the sec- 5 the seed, and consequently renders the process 0nd water-tank may be put in its place until expensive and impracticable on account of the the strength of the acid in that has been brought bulk of waste material or residue to behandled. up to the standard desired, and the process is To remedy this is the object of my invention, carried on in this way by removal of tank No.

0 and I have found by experiment that I may 2, or the first water-tank, when the contents are 9 wash the seeds previous to the lime bath, and raised to a sufficient degree of strength, and thus save the acid, as hereinafter described. the substitution of the second water-tank, or For this purpose I transfer the seeds directly tank No. 3, as heretofore described. I do not from the acid bath to a tank of pure water, in wish to be limited to the number of these wa- 5 quantity preferably just sufficient to wash the ter-tanks, as it may be found necessary to use 93 seeds, whereby the larger part of the adhermore than two under some circumstances. ing acid is removed. I mayimmerse the seeds The cotton-carbon filtered from the acid is in a second bath of pure water, then in alime useful for the manufacture of fertilizer, being or equivalent bath to remove all traces of acid, still charged with some acid. By this process and finallyin abath of pure water, after which there is a great saving in expense, inasmuch ICO as a large amount of acid is saved and the whole utilized, whereas by former processes it was totally wasted.

The purified acid from the tanks Nos. 2 and 3 may be strengthened by the addition of fresh acid to any desired degree and again used for the first bath. In using this acid Ihave found by experiment that I may strengthen it to 60 hydrometer and heat it, and the effect upon the seed will be equally as good as the 66 described.

It will be understood that the condition of the seed will depend upon the length of time to which they are subjected to the process, and will be partially or wholly cleaned accordingly.

It will also be understood that I handle the seed in suitable cages; such as have been heretofore described and are well known, which cages containing the seed are dipped into the acid or other bath.

seed with acid and then rinsing the acid off with water, my invention, as above explained, being limited to the mode of operation by means of which the repeated'riusing by dip- I do not claim treating cottonping in the bath of water after dipping in the acid is used to effect the saving of the acid in the manner described.

WVhat I claim is- The hereinbefore-described process of treating cotton-seed, whereby the charred fiber or carbon is removed and the acid saved for further use, consisting in dipping successive batches of the seed first in the tank containing acid, then in a tank or tanks containing at first pure water until the water contained k 

